Typically, heavy equipment such as motor graders and wheel loaders are powered by one or more diesel or gasoline powered internal combustion engines. Generally, these engines are liquid cooled, however, air or air/oil cooled engines may also be used. Most liquid cooled engines include a heat exchanger system, the heat exchanger system including a coolant pump and a fan cooled heat exchanger. The term cooler can be used interchangeably with heat exchanger. Coolant passes through the heat exchanger and is cooled by air flow created by the fan. The fan may be driven directly off of the engine or may be powered by any other suitable means such as electrically or hydraulically. Generally, the heat exchanger and fan are positioned relatively close to the engine to reduce the distance coolant is required to flow.
Most heavy equipment includes a hydraulic system having a hydraulic pump and at least one hydraulic cylinder used to actuate a component of the machinery such as a boom and/or a bucket. The hydraulic pump may also supply other components of the machinery such as the transmission and/or the cooling fan. The hydraulic system may also include a heat exchanger to cool the hydraulic fluid. This heat exchanger may be placed adjacent to or integral with the engine coolant heat exchanger described above. Generally, the engine cooling fan or a supplemental fan provides airflow over the heat exchanger to cool the hydraulic fluid.
Traditionally, manufacturers design systems that have heat exchangers stacked in front of each other, and/or placed next to each other in a side-by-side configuration. Today's cooling loads have greatly increased with the use of sophisticated transmissions, more air conditioners, and highly turbocharged engines. Vehicle space is at a premium because the number and size of components have increased, while the size of the enclosure has not changed. Some solutions have required manufacturers to increase the length of the heat exchanger system and have required service personnel to climb on the machine to service the heat exchanger system.
When heat exchangers are installed on heavy equipment, the heat exchangers may be subjected to vibration. In some applications it is useful to damp out these vibrations using vibrational isolators. Vibrational isolators absorb energy which may reduce the amount of damage done to the heat exchanger, which may prolong the useful life of the heat exchanger.